Last night I attended the Boston Area Sustainability Group, mostly to see some of my favorite people. The speaker asked who in the audience had made personal changes in their behaviors related to sustainability. Most everyone in the room raised their hand. I was a little uncomfortable. I grew up with too many evangelicals not to get squeamish with things that seem to border on the testimonial. But the speaker’s unspoken assumption is valid. You can’t really be interested in sustainability without it affecting your personal behaviors – perhaps in small ways, perhaps over a long time, but if you’re paying attention and you have a smidgen of conscience, you will start to change.

One big change for me over the past several years is shifting my focus from “Green IT” to “Sustainable IT.” In February, I presented a webinar called “A Green IT Primer.” In it I laid the groundwork for the necessary shift from green to sustainable. When Focus asked me to create a roundtable discussion, I thought, “What a great opportunity to have a conversation with some wicked smart folks who’s thinking is bound to spark interest.” And so, I’ve gathered wonderful people, some of whom I first met at the Boston Area Sustainability Group.

One Response to Sidling up to Sustainable IT

Carol – thanks for sharing this. I think the more people are involved in talking about sustainability and environmental issues the better. It starts with listening, and through processes like you are sharing, things begin to take shape and real action occurs.